Deer in Richmond Chase

The Richmond Chase development on the former Latchmere prison site makes the most of its proximity to Richmond Park in its marketing material and is reinforcing that connection with this deer standing outside of the show home. I hope that it still has a home somewhere on the site once all the construction has finished.

Inappropriate planting in Royal Park Gate

When I moved into Royal Park Gate in 1997 that area was brash and barren but over twenty years the trees and bushes have matured nicely. There used to be no birdsong at all and now it is taken for granted. Other wildlife like the wilding of the area and I have even had a badger in my garden (I am not sure which of us was the more surprised when I walked up the drive).

Now some people, mostly new to the area, have decided that rather than have bushes for birds to nest in they would rather have flowers and so a small stretch of the route through from Dukes Avenue the the river has been butchered. Shrubs have had their lower branches removed, the ground has been cleared and a few silly flowers have been planted.

I am doing what I can to halt, and hopefully reverse, this desecration.

WV03 WCW

This is not a parking space. The clue is the double yellow lines. And the dropped kerb

Richmond Kitchens is coming to Ham Parade

What was Ham Fruiterers is set to become Richmond Kitchens. I know that this is only a temporary frontage but I think it is rather lovely. The shop that emerges behind it has a lot to do to make such an impact.

A blocked path in Wates Estate

I have said many times that one of the things I like about Ham and Petersham is how easy it is to walk around it because of all the footpaths. This is an exception.

I was alerted to this blocked path by Apple Maps which suggested I use it to get from Kingfisher Drive to Fellbrook. The railings are clearly not original as they look like nothing else in the estate. The path can be seen on the other side but there is no way through to it.

It seems that the residents have chosen to make private a place that was public and Wates Estate is a little less nice because of it.

An extension takes shape

As with the previous pictures that I have posted of this extension in New Road, it is the clutter associated with the construction that attracts me as much as the actual building.

The extension is looking good though and the use of bricks is welcome. I hope that they do not suffer the same fate as those on the main house and get smothered with a layer of white paint. Bricks are too pretty for that.

South Corner rises

The rebuilding of South Corner on Upper Ham Road (almost directly at the end of the avenue of trees leading all the way to Ham House) is one of the several major projects locally that interest me. Keeping an eye on it is easy as it requires just a small diversion from one of my regular walks to work.

Most of it is still hidden behind plastic sheeting but what can be seen of the frontage looks good with the use of bricks that match the wall alongside the drive.

Little House looking grand

It is a fairly long list but Little House, on the corner of Ham Common and New Road, is one of my favourite properties locally and this photograph shows why.

Wheelbarrow graveyard

There is a little gully by the tow path close between the footbridge and the lock which is a popular place to lay with bikes because of the slopes at either end and the bumps in the middle. This is not an obvious place for wheelbarrows but two of them seem to have gone there for their final rest.

More change at the Hand and Flower

This sign in the window of the Hand and Flower explains that the pub is having another make-over and this one looks quite extensive. I'll give the new place a try as it is my nearest pub and was also my local for many years but it has been the wars since then including a strange period as The Legless Frog. I wish it well for the future.

Unusual boat

It is not just the swan's neck that I like here, it is also the utilitarian construction of the cage and the unusual contents.

New fence

The last time that I took a picture of the fence here it was black and had red leaves trailing down it and it was that contrast that attracted me. This time it is the freshness and brightness of its replacement.

Back to school

I like taking Douglas Footpath as it winds behind the German School as it is one of the area's more interesting buildings and it is still evolving. The barriers and containers are the latest signs of further change.

Modelling Richmond Chase

A show home and marketing centre have opened at Richmond Chase and while not much of the development is accessible this model gives a good idea of what it is expected to look like when completed.

The properties that have been completed look good but I am still concerned about what it will look like once all the properties are occupied and the narrow road through the development is full of parked cars.

What a difference a porch makes

Previously I had been critical of the bland look of the reworked Ham Institute in New Road but it suddenly looks a great deal better with the addition of a porch and lantern above the front door.